Door holder



Jan. 25,

Filed May H. J. TRocHE DooR HOLDER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 I0d I5 27 INVENTOR. Ik 7, FIG. 5 HERMAN .LTROCHE ATTORNEY afg/5w@ H. J. TRocHE 2,700,174

DOOR- HOLDER I 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 wm mm. J Nv .NN n Q Das www l INVENTOR HERMAN J. TROCHE *B517 tf/M ATTOR EY /Lnv Jan. 25, 1955 Filed may 17, 1952 Jan.25, 1955 H. J. TROCHE 2,700,174

DooR HOLDER Filed May 17, 1952 5 sheets-sheet s ll/VTOR. HERMAN J. TROCHE ATTO NEY United States Patent C) DOOR HOLDER Herman 3. Troche, Fairview Park, liio,.assignor to lJLH. Hglan Corporation, Cleveland, Oliio, a corporation of G io Application May 17, 1952, Serial No'. 288,377

7 Claims. (Cl, 1'61-85) Thev invention relates to door holders. Particularly, it relatesto devices for securely holding doors open, andV is illustrated herein by a description' and a showing thereof when applied to` a door'of' a utility truck` body.' Such vehicle bodies are' utilized for transporting the workmen and the equipment necessary for the'v installation and maintenance of power lines, telephone lines, and other facilities of public utility companies The invention utilizes various bodyand door parts, either in their usual form, or slightly modified, and incorporates these parts with additional elements to `form the door holder and to effect the door-holding function.

The objects or" the invention are to provide' a' door holder which is economically manufactured, and can'be' conveniently installed in equipment of the" character described; which is entirely automatic in4 operation upon movement of the door; which forms noimpediment to the normal use of the door; and' whichis entirely reliable in that it is practically impossible for the door to be closed accidentally when locked open` by theA holder.

The annexed drawings'l and the followingdescription set forth in detail certain means illustrating the improvements in door holders; the same, however, disclosing only one of the various forms; inv which the' principle of the invention may be embodiedt in said' annexed drawings:

Figure l is an outside elevation=of a utility body door with whichthe improvements in' door' holders have been incorporated, a fragmentary showingV otI av truck' body served by the door being also' includedi the door in this view being shownin closed position;

Figure 2 is a plan section, uponf an enlarged scale; taken in the planes indicated by theilne 2-2, FigureL li;

Figure 3 isa transverse' vertical: section, looking toward the rear of the truck body, the View# beingv taken' in-the' plane indicated bythe line' 3-3y Figuresl and.5";

Figure 4 is a broken plan view, similari' to-Figure` 2, the door, however, being shown in'fully'open andlooked4 position, certain parts of the door and door-looking members being also indicatedinA the'frespectivep ositions which' they occupy inthe closed position' off' the door;

Figure 5` is a fragmentary'longitudinal, vertical secltion, looking from within' the' truck' body toward the: door, the section being taleninthe' plane indicatedrby the line 5 5; Figures 2 and' 3'; and' Figure^6 is a section taken in" the' plane in'dicatedf by the linee-6, Figure 4.

Referring to the annexed drawingsY in'. which. the." same parts are indicated by the Samet several numbers. in? the respective views, a utility truck body 1 is formed with an opening 2, Figure 2`, for" the accommodation of a closure, such as the door 10, Figure l. The door 10 s illustrated in the accompanying drawings as swinging on-a vertical axisandisassumedito'fbe on the. right or curb side of the body- 1. Lappedaby'- the edgeslof the door 11i are a relatively front bodyl'parrtfV 3, Figurey 1?, a relatively rear body part 4, an upper' body part S, and a' lower body part 6l The upper body'part Silalso includes av roof '7 lapped by the upper' edge of" the door.

The form' of doorV shown-is-the box type having. transversely-spaced rectangular panels; anf outer one-11VIY and an inner one 15, Figure-3,.of.which;portions are shown at the upper and lower door corners at the hinge edge ofthe door, Figures 2 and 4i; ThetW'o panels 11i and 15 are spaced one from the other by a peripheral substantially right-angular ange 16 of the interior panel 15, Figures 2 and 3, which ange 16 is welded by a 2,700,174 Patented Jan. 25, 1955 rice right-angular edgev4 17 to the'. peripheral portion of: the inner face of the outer panel 11. Theterminal` edges of the outer panelv 11 are folded overinto a two-ply formation 11 upon all sides.V except'. the hinge side, Fig ures22` and 4, and the terminal edges 17 of the 'ange 16 ofthe. inner panel 15 abut thev inner edges of. theformation 11.

Certain body and door' structures. shown ini the a'ccompanying drawings, particularly at'the hinge edge.' ofv the door, are similar to structures shown, describedandi claimed inthe'pending application of. Herman I. Troche and' James Howard Holan. on Sealing. Means for' the' Hinge. Edge of a Door, Serial No. 5,244, noW'Patent No'. 2,619,204, dated November 25, 1952, andare asi-'followszi The outer panel.. 11 extends ati the forward ori hinge' edge of the door 10` forwardly of the inner panel flange 17 andv has an elongated forwardly-extended inwardlybent terminal edge 14 which is biased outwardly and which, when' the door 10 is closed, abuts the inner facev or" the forward body part 3, as clearly appears: in Fig'- ures 2 and 4, For the purpose of providing this inner lapping'edge 14, the panel 11 is bent' intov an inwardly extended olset formation 13 adjacently forward of. the inner panel flange 17, Figures 2 and 4. The offset 13" is disposed somewhat', rearwardly of the rear edge of' the forward body part 3' so as'to form an opening 12, Figure' 4, therebetween. The-forwardly extending edge of the' outer door panel 11 is cutaway at its upper and lower corners, as indicated by 19, Figure l, so; that' the part of the outer panel 11. adjacently'rearwardly of the lapping edge'14 can move inwardly when' the door 10 is opened, the opening 12 facilitating` this movement.

Secured to' the lower body part 6. and to the upper body part' 5 adjacent thehingeedge' of the' door 10' are` horizontal brackets 25 formed 'with' relatively' right# angular bushing members 26 within which. projecting ends' of upper and lower' vertical hin'gei pins 8 and 9 secured to the door' 10 arey pivotally' mounted. These brackets 25 are positioned in reversed;r positions so. as to' receive an upwardly extending end` of theupperhinge pin'v S and a downwardly extending. end of' the lower' hinge pin 9.

Means for manually opening. and. closing'the door' 1i) I'comprise a cup or' liner 20" seated. at its' base" on the outer'face of.'l the inner doorpanel 15;..in a-recessedp'art of. the outer door. panel 11', of which' liner 20: a ange 2'1"- is shown'V in Figure l whichissecured. infclose'abut'- ting'p'osition to' the'- outside face of.' theouter.' door panel 1131i adjacent the rear edge of. the:- door' 10, thecham'ber of this' cupy ori liner 2i) re'ceivingz' lock-bolt operating structure (not shown)l which' is actuated: from. outside. ofV the' doorV 10 by pulling outwardly on" the-fronti edge of a handgrip: 22 pivotally mounted" in. the" liner. 201

Incorporated'with the aforedescribed' body and door. structures are` thezfollowing elements.

Welded,l to the face: of the: inner:l door panel 15, on thefhinge. side ot" the' door',.is-. a strengthening member. 27 havingi an, outwardly directed: ange 28.'y welded to the' top` facer ofithef inner do'or'panel` flange 16.-v Thestrength'f ening'- member 27: extends at? its.' forward end' to' substantiallythe plane of'the' forwardv edge ofthe terminal flange 175' of' the` inner' dooi. panel'. 15, and is` bent for.- wardlyf right-angularly at its,y bottom edge to form a' channel-shaped bracket 29' to and within' which'. the upper hingepinlS is iseoured' and extends upwardly. therefromfor pivotally mounted'movement' in the upper bracket 25.

There is a' lowerv strengthening'member 31, similar' in formation but' ofmaterially'less longitudinal dimension th'a'n the upperY strengthening member 27', which also isA securedfto' the'inner door panel- 1'51 This lower strength-v ening-'rnemberv 31 is' utilized in aA` reversed' position from' th'at in which the upper strengthening member 2'7` is utilized; The lower strengthening member 31' has a yflange 32 secured'. to they lower face of the'flange 1'6 oi.

cess in the strengthening member 27 being indicated by 24. The ear 23 is drilled to receive a bolt 36, Figures 3 and 5, by which the forward end of a rearwardly extending metal arm 35 of elongated plate or strip formation, and substantially rectangular in cross section, ispivotally secured to the ear 23.

The strip 35 has at its rear terminal end a downwardly extending hook formation 39, Figures 5 and 6. The rear end portion of the strip 35 slopes downwardly as indicated by 37, and then is bent sharply upwardly, and thence into the downwardly-extending hook formation 39, a notch thus formed immediately forward of the hook formation, and on the top of the strip portion 317, being indicated by 38, Figures 5 and 6.

Spot-welded to the upper surface of the forward part of the strip 35 is a spring steel heat-treated rectilinear strip 40, also substantially rectangular in cross-section and extending rearwardly to substantially the plane defining the rear end of the hook formation 39, as clearly shown in Figures 5 and 6. These strips 39 and 40 extend lengthwise of the body 1 adjacently below the lower face of the roof 7. The spring steel strip 40 extends substantially in a horizontal plane so that the free ends of the strips 35 and 40 diverge and there is a space 41 continuously varying in vertical dimension between the top face of the rear of the strip 35 and the bottom face of the rear of the spring steel strip 40, as also clearly indicated in Figure 5. Preferably, the terminal portion 44 of the free end of the spring steel strip 40 is curved upwardly slightly, as seen in Figure 5.`

Secured by one leg 46 to the undersurface of the body roof 7, at substantially a 45 angle to the plane of the door in closed position, is a bracket such as an angle plate 45, Figures 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. A depending leg 47 of the angle plate 45 is formed with a slot 42 through which pass the rear ends of the metal strip 35 and the spring steel strip 40. The rear parts of these two strips 35 and 40 play forwardly and rearwardly in the slot 42 as the door 10 is opened and closed. This slot 42 is of a vertical dimension suitable to permit free sliding passage therethrough of a cross-section of the welded or abutting areas of the strips 35 and 40, and of a horizontal dimension suitable to permit the angular shifting As herein before stated, the forward edge 14 of the outer door panel 11 of the upper and lower door hinge bracket assemblies nteriorly laps the forward part 3 of the body 1, and the bracket assemblies are disposed rearwardly of this lapping area. Therefore, a space 43 is provided around and forwardly of the axis of the hinges 8 and 9, which space 43 extends from the top to the bottom of the door 10, and within which the bracket assemblies and the forward terminal lapping edge 14 of the door 10 may play during the opening and closing movements of the door 10, as will be clearly seen in Figures 2 and 4.

What I claim is:

1. In a door holder for a structure having two relal tively angular walls, a hinge formation, and a door swingingly mounted by the hinge formation on one of the walls, the door comprising spaced exterior and interior panels, the interior panel having a terminal ange secured to the inner face of the exterior panel, the combination of a bracket secured to the other wall, a strengthening member secured to the interior door panel, and a holder arm pivotally secured to the strengthening member and movably supported by the bracket, the strengthening member having a portion thereof abutting the swinging edge of the door which is of channel formation, the hinge formation being secured in the channel formation.

2. A door holder, characterized as in claim 1, in which the bracket is slotted for movable support therein of the holder arm, and in which a portion of the strengthening member is stamped out to form an ear thereon for pivotal securing of the holder arm.

3. In a door holder for a door hinged on a frame, said holder comprising an arm pivotally connectable at one of the strips and 40 on the bolt 36 as they travel through the slot 42 when the door 10 is opened and closed, Figure 4. These dimensions are clearly indi- ,cated in Figures 4 and 5. The position of the strips 35 and relative to the slot 42, when the door 10 is fully open, is clearly shown in Figure 6. It will be noted that when the door 10 is fully opened the hook formation of the metal strip 35 is disposed contiguously rearwardly of the rear face of the leg 47 of angle plate 45 and that, when the door 10 is closed, as clearly shown in Figure 5, the rear ends of the strips 35 and 40 extend a substantial distance rearwardly of the angle plate 45.

The tendency of the spring steel strip 40 is to remain in the horizontal planes shown in Figure 5, and it is in this position when the door 10 is closed. However, as the door 10 is opened and the divergent zone 41 of the strips 35 and 40 passes through the slot 42, the rigid strip 35 causes the spring strip 40 to be moved upwardly and drag on the upper wall of the slot 42. The lower face of the rigid strip 35 also drags on the lower wall of the slot 42, and this dragging action of the two strips 35 and 40 increases in intensity until the low point of the lower face of the strip 35 opposed to the notch 38 reaches the slot 42. A further opening movement of the door 10 results in an easing up of the tension on the strips 35 and 40, due to the converging nature of the terminal part of the rigid strip 35, and the hook 39 then abuts the bracket ange 47 and limits the door opening movement. The effect of the sudden easing of dragging tension is to snap the door 10 into a locked opened position. In this open position of the door the terminal portion 44 of the free end of the spring steel strip 40 is bent slightly downwardly. The notched section 38 of the rigid strip 35 is a material aid in preventing the accidental swinging of the door 10 from opened position toward closed position, by reason of wind pressure or other fortuitous circum-l stances, inasmuch as some substantial closing force must be applied to the door 10 to overcome the intense dragging on the slot walls of the strips 35 and 40 when the trzough-like area 38 is caused to pass through the slot 4 end thereof to the door at a point spaced from the door hinge and a slotted bracket securable to the frame, said arm comprising superimposed rigid and spring steel strips relatively immovably secured together adjacent one end, the rigid strip being bent and said strips diverging continuously from said, secured portions thereof toward their opposite ends, said secured portions of the strips passing freely through the bracket slot, the arm having an overall slot-wall engaging dimension in its divergent zone greater than the depth of the bracket slot, said strips when said overall dimension is passing through the slot dragging on opposed walls of the slot thereby forming a exible door catch.

4. A door holder, characterized as in claim 3, in which the arm is formed beyond the diverging zone with a hook adapted to abut the bracket and limit the opening movement of the door.

5. A door holder, characterized as in claim 3, in which the strips are extended in converging relation beyond the diverging zone and in which the extension of the rigid strip is provided with a terminal hook formed to abut the bracket and limit the opening movement of the door.

6. A door holder, characterized as in claim 5, in which the terminal portion of the extension of the spring steel strip is slightly curved away from the opposed portion of the rigid strip extension.

7. A door holder, characterized as in claim 3, in which the strips are extended in sharply converging relation beyond the diverging zone for snap action of the arm into position in the bracket slot, and in which means are provided limiting the opening movement of the door to such position.

References Cited in the file of this patent 'UNITED STATES PATENTS 

